Head-up display apparatus and method for vehicle

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a head-up display apparatus for a vehicle. The head-up display includes an information analysis unit, a first information determination unit, a second information determination unit, and an information display unit. The information analysis unit collects vehicle state information, driver state information, driving environment state information, driver gaze information, individual characteristic information and common characteristic information from a plurality of information collection units, and analyzes the collected information. The first information determination unit prioritizes the vehicle state information, the driver state information, and the driving environment state information. The second information determination unit determines a driver's field of view based on driver field of view information and driver individual and common characteristic information. The information display unit changes information to be displayed to the driver based on priorities and the driver's field of view, and then displays the changed information.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A head-up display apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:
 an information analysis unit configured to collect vehicle state information, driver state information, driving environment state information, driver gaze information, individual characteristic information and common characteristic information from a plurality of information collection units attached to the vehicle, and to analyze the collected information; 
 a first information determination unit configured to prioritize the vehicle state information, the driver state information, and the driving environment state information; 
 a second information determination unit configured to determine a driver's field of view based on driver field of view information and driver individual and common characteristic information; and 
 an information display unit configured to change information to be displayed to the driver based on priorities and the driver's field of view, and to display the changed information. 
 
     
     
       2. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the information analysis unit comprises:
 a vehicle information collection unit configured to collect the vehicle state information; 
 a vehicle information analysis unit configured to analyze a position, direction, and speed of the vehicle based on the vehicle state information collected by the vehicle information collection unit; 
 a driver information collection unit configured to collect the driver state information; 
 a driver information analysis unit configured to analyze a behavior, degree of fatigue and degree of concentration of the driver based on the driver state information collected by the driver information collection unit; 
 a driving environment information collection unit configured to collect the driving environment state information; 
 a driving environment information analysis unit configured to analyze brightness, temperature, and presence or absence of an object near the vehicle based on the driving environment state information collected by the driving environment information collection unit; 
 a driver gaze information collection unit configured to collect the driver gaze information; and 
 a driver gaze information analysis unit configured to analyze a direction of the driver's head, a size and position of the driver's pupils, and a number of eye blinks based on the driver gaze information collected by the driver gaze information collection unit. 
 
     
     
       3. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the information analysis unit comprises:
 a driver individual characteristic information collection unit configured to collect the driver individual characteristic information; 
 a driver common characteristic information collection unit configured to collect the driver common characteristic information; and 
 a driver field of view analysis unit configured to analyze the driver's angle of view, the driver's visible distance, and the driver's cumulative gaze range by analyzing the driver individual and common characteristic information. 
 
     
     
       4. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the driver individual characteristic information comprises any one of the driver's angle of view and the driver's faculty of vision; and 
 the driver common characteristic information comprises any one of age, gender, and driving experience of the driver. 
 
     
     
       5. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the first information determination unit comprises:
 a priority assignment unit configured to assign priorities to the vehicle state information, the driver state information, and the driving environment state information based on a previously constructed database; and 
 a priority determination unit configured to determine order in which information will be displayed in descending order of priorities. 
 
     
     
       6. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second information determination unit comprises:
 a driver degree of concentration extraction unit configured to extract information about a degree of concentration of the driver based on the driver gaze information; 
 a driver focal range extraction unit configured to extract information about a focal range of the driver based on the driver individual and common characteristic information; and 
 a driver field of view determination unit configured to determine the driver's field of view based on the information about the degree of concentration of the driver and the information about the focal range of the driver. 
 
     
     
       7. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the driver's field of view is divided into a field of view being closely observed by the driver and an adjacent field of view. 
     
     
       8. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the information display unit comprises:
 a recognition enhancement setting unit configured to configure information to be displayed to the driver according to a recognition enhancement method based on the priorities and the driver's field of view; 
 a recognition enhancement display unit configured to display the information to the driver while applying the recognition enhancement method employed by the recognition enhancement setting unit; 
 a gaze guidance setting unit configured to set a method of prompting a driver to adjust a direction of his or her gaze based on the priorities and the driver's field of view; and 
 a gaze guidance display unit configured to prompt the driver to adjust a direction of his or her gaze using the method of prompting the driver to adjust the direction of his or her gaze set by the gaze guidance setting unit, and to then display the information to the driver. 
 
     
     
       9. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the recognition enhancement method changes any one of a color, form, size, format and degree of transparency of the information to be displayed. 
     
     
       10. The head-up display apparatus of  claim 8 , wherein the method of prompting the driver to adjust the direction of his/her gaze changes any one of an alarm, a size, and a degree of transparency, thereby prompting the driver to adjust the driver's field of view. 
     
     
       11. A head-up display method for a vehicle, comprising:
 collecting, by an information analysis unit, vehicle state information, driver state information, driving environment state information, driver gaze information, individual characteristic information and common characteristic information from a plurality of information collection units attached to the vehicle, and analyzing, by an information analysis unit, the collected information; 
 prioritizing, by a first information determination unit, the vehicle state information, the driver state information, and the driving environment state information; 
 determining, by a second information determination unit, a driver's field of view based on driver field of view information and individual and common characteristic information; and 
 changing, by an information display unit, information to be displayed to the driver based on the priorities and the driver's field of view, and displaying, by an information display unit, the changed information. 
 
     
     
       12. The head-up display method of  claim 11 , wherein collecting and analyzing the information comprises:
 collecting the vehicle state information, and analyzing a position, direction, and speed of the vehicle based on the vehicle state information; 
 collecting the driver state information, and analyzing behavior, degree of fatigue, and degree of concentration of the driver based on the driver state information; 
 collecting the driving environment state information, and analyzing brightness, temperature, and presence or absence of an object near the vehicle based on the driving environment state information; 
 collecting the driver gaze information, and analyzing a direction of the driver's head, a size and position of the driver's pupils, and a number of eye blinks based on the driver gaze information; and 
 collecting the driver individual and common characteristic information, and analyzing the driver's angle of view, the driver's visible distance, and the driver's cumulative gaze range by analyzing the driver individual and common characteristic information. 
 
     
     
       13. The head-up display method of  claim 11 , wherein prioritizing comprises assigning the priorities to the vehicle state information, the driver state information, and the driving environment state information based on a previously constructed database, and determining order in which information will be displayed in descending order of priorities. 
     
     
       14. The head-up display method of  claim 11 , wherein determining the driver's field of view comprises extracting information about the degree of concentration of the driver based on the driver gaze information, extracting information about a focal range of the driver based on the driver individual and common characteristic information, and determining the driver's field of view based on the information about the degree of concentration of the driver and the information about the focal range of the driver. 
     
     
       15. The head-up display method of  claim 11 , wherein the driver's field of view is divided into a field of view being closely observed by the driver and an adjacent field of view. 
     
     
       16. The head-up display method of  claim 11 , wherein changing and displaying the information comprises:
 displaying information to the driver while applying a recognition enhancement method to the information to be displayed based on the priorities and the driver's field of view; and 
 prompting the driver to adjust a direction of his/her gaze by applying a method of prompting the driver to adjust the direction of the driver's gaze based on the priorities and the driver's field of view, and then displaying the information to the driver.